


The Odyssey According to Himemiya

by WateredMyCrops



Category: Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena
Genre: Epilogue, F/F, Mentions of Underage, himemiya WILL find Utena no matter what, it's the odyssey!!!!, mentions of rape/non-con, they grow up and deal with their trauma, they have this trauma so they talk about it and process it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-08-09 22:03:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20124562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WateredMyCrops/pseuds/WateredMyCrops
Summary: Utena Tenjou has disappeared from Ohtori Academy. Anthy Himemiya is determined to find her. But she's not the only person Utena impacted, and everyone grows up eventually. And how can you find someone when you've been lost yourself?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by tumblr user shimanamii, and this post in particular: https://shimanamii.tumblr.com/post/164201536571/youve-heard-of-revolutionary-girl-utena-now-get
> 
> There will be angst, and there will be discussion of the trauma that the characters experienced in the show. However, there won't be explicit sexual assault, and the violence will be in flashbacks. The characters will be trying to work through their experiences, and as a survivor, I know that it's more important for the survivors to speak about their experiences than for those experiences to be put on display. Any chapters that have those topics will have content warnings in the beginning.

The first thing Utena felt was the rumbling of the engine. It slowly rocked her awake, and she became aware of the ache in her gut. 

“Hey, how are you feeling, sweetheart?” 

She turned to her aunt, who was gripping the steering wheel and looking back and forth from Utena and the road. There were shadows under her eyes, and her short hair stuck out at odd angles. She looked like she hadn’t slept in a week.

“Um, I feel ok, I guess.” She shifted, then winced. “My stomach really hurts, though.” Her head was fuzzy, the sun and the pain making it hard to think.

“Shit. Sorry, hun.” Her aunt’s gaze kept flicking back and forth. “The doctors said that you’d be ok, but I have no idea who thought it was a good idea to let you out of the hospital this early.” She pried one hand off the steering wheel to run through her hair. Checking her watch, she said “We need to change your bandages in an hour. I was thinking that we could pull over, get you freshened up, then go to a nice restaurant.” Her smile was thin and strained. “Whaddya say, kiddo?” 

“Yeah, that sounds great.” Utena rubbed her eyes. She…she couldn’t remember what had happened. There were no details just…vague impressions. Pain, and lots of it, that was certain. A sudden feeling, like being destroyed. Like falling. 

Like dying.

“What about school?”

“Well, I’m absolutely not sending you back to that hellhole, that’s for damn sure.” Her aunt was suddenly angry, angrier than Utena could remember ever seeing her before. “Utena, you got stabbed. With a fucking sword! Pardon my language.” The muscles in her jaw worked. “The chairman told me some story, but I want to hear it from you. When you’re ready,” she added hurriedly. “I just know that I’m not going to put you in a place where the students brutalize each other like that.” She stared through the windshield as if she could melt it with her eyes. 

Utena chewed on her lip. “So…does that mean that I’ll be going to school back home?” She was trying to steer the conversation back to something that made sense. 

Stabbed?! 

She didn’t remember getting stabbed. She remembered…remembered…

“I know that the public school isn’t as fancy as Ohtori,” her aunt cut in on her thoughts. “But it’s the middle of the term, and you need to go to school. We can figure something out during the break.” She tried to smile encouragingly, but the stress turned it into a grimace. “I’ve seen your report cards. If you can get marks like that at Ohtori, you can do public school in your sleep.”

Utena returned the smile, but it didn’t fit on her face. She leaned back in her seat and stared out the window. Her memory was running together, so she tried to sort it out slowly. 

She had time.

\--------------------------------------

Anthy had been outside Ohtori before. 

She hadn’t left before. But she had been outside to carry out the various schemes and plots that A-- that man had come up with. So she wasn’t helpless. As she sat on the train, the comforting weight of the cash in her purse let her know that she was about as far from helpless as she could get.

She passed Chu-Chu a biscuit and smiled as he leaned against her shoulder. It had been so easy to empty the bank accounts. All the security hadn’t changed, and she’d always had access to it. After that, she just got a train ticket. 

Finally, she had a goal that she had decided on herself. 

She was going to find Utena. No matter what. 

That was easier said than done, however. Yes, the school did technically have files on all of its students, but Anthy knew that if she pursued that particular avenue of investigation, she’d be trapped in a bureaucratic maze with no answers and no Utena. 

No, the best option was to set out on her own, following any clues, and the stories Utena told of her childhood. 

Deep breaths. 

No pain. 

Anthy bit her lip, hands grabbing the fabric of her dress. She didn’t know how long it had been, but she absence of pain was almost worse than its presence.

Almost. 

The shaking started in her gut and rose up, up, towards her heart and her shoulders, threatening to send her tumbling down. 

“Chu!”

Chu-Chu stood on his head in her lap, his tail bent into a rough heart shape. Anthy choked out a laugh, a hand covering her mouth. 

Breathe. Just breathe. 

“Thanks, Chu-Chu. You’re my best friend.” She gently rubbed his ears and smiled. Looking out the window, the countryside swept past in emerald brushstrokes. Anthy didn’t know where she was going, but she would figure it out.

She had time.


	2. Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Utena tries to remember how she got injured, and Anthy looks for a way to get around.

“Hey, sweetie, we’re here.”

Utena’s fingers scrabbled against the seatbelt, every move causing the ache in her stomach to worsen. She unfolded her legs from the car and tumbled out, the gravel digging into her knees. 

As she bent over, nausea from the gut wound made her eyes water and she groaned. 

“Woah, woah, hey. I got you. Just…there we go, give me your hand…that’s it, up we come,” her aunt had rushed to her side and was fussing over her. She threw an arm underneath Utena’s shoulders and lifted her straight up, taking all the weight onto herself. The lurch almost made her black out for a moment, but the pressure was off her injury, so she was able to stand again. 

She still leaned into her aunt, just a little. 

Yui Tenjou was the strongest woman she’d ever known. Her father’s older sister, she’d taken Utena in immediately after the accident that had left her an orphan. Yui never married, and never had kids, but she had done her best with the only family either of them had left. Utena remembered that day, almost seven years ago, when the strangest woman she had ever seen burst into the chapel. 

She was tall, like her father, with brawny arms and short hair. She was wearing a skirt, but it didn’t fit her. Not that it was too big or too small, but it was just…wrong. She had marched right on over to Utena and grabbed her in a massive bear hug. Utena had endured many such hugs over the past week, but this one was different. It cared, somehow. 

The strange woman pulled away, lower lip wobbling. “I’m sorry that it took me so long to get down here. I live in Hokkaido, and, well, I don’t have much set aside for a plane ticket so, uh…” she trailed off. “Anyway. I’m your aunt Yui, your dad’s sister. I’m going to be taking care of you now. So don’t you worry, kiddo.”

And that had been that.

Yui and Utena made their way into the gas station, clutching the first aid kit. The clerk stared a little, but went back to his business after they glared at him. The bathroom was big enough to fit the two of them inside, so Utena eased herself onto the toilet lid as Yui methodically laid out the bandages, the antiseptic cream, and the medical tape. 

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

Utena lifted the edge of her shirt, and Yui began tearing off the old bandage. The smell wasn’t that bad-old scabs and ointment-but the sound of the goopy mess peeling away from her skin amplified the pain. Utena’s toes curled in her sneakers. 

Wasting no time, Yui cleaned off the wound, slathered more ointment around the stitches, and reapplied the bandage. Utena shifted so that her back was visible. Apparently the kendo captain had stabbed her in the back, but she could only remember bits and pieces. 

“Shit, Utena.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?” Yui’s eyes snapped up at her for a moment, then went back to her work. “That’s not a rhetorical question, by the way.”

Utena winced. Her aunt was blunt, she’d always known that. 

“I said that I’d give you time, and I will, but if you did something, or got caught up in something, I need to know.” She finished bandaging her up and then sat back on her heels, staring up at her niece. “I’m not going to say that I won’t be angry, because that’d be a lie, but I will help you with anything that you’ve gotten yourself into. You’ve always been a good kid, and you’re the only family I’ve got left. But you’ve got to understand: I can only help you if I know what you need help with. Got it?”

“Got it.” Utena felt exhausted and empty. She had tried to remember, she really had, but nothing before she had woken up in the hospital had made any sense. 

Her belly gurgled. 

Yui sighed. “Well, no one can think on an empty stomach. C’mon, I promised a fancy lunch, and I always keep my promises.” She paid for the gas as they left, and after a few minutes of driving around while Utena tried to make heads or tails of the map, they found a French restaurant.

The maître d’ gave them a judgmental once-over, but withered under their combined stare, and the sight of the bandage poking out from Utena’s basketball jersey. They were seated outdoors, next to a small fountain and some rose bushes. The sight of them made Utena’s hands shake, but she didn’t know why. She quickly shoved them into her lap before her aunt could see. 

They ordered tea and cookies, and Yui stretched slightly while they waited. “I flew down here, y’know.”

“Mmhmm.”

“The guys got some cash together for me once they heard that you were in the hospital. It was really nice of them.”

“Yeah.”

“They care about you a lot, Utena.”

“Right.”

Yui sighed and stared off at the fountain. 

The roses were white; soft and delicate as the new snow. A breeze blew through and their scent wrapped around Utena’s head like a fog. Her thumb began to rub at the signet ring she’d worn for years, ever since her parents died. 

She stopped. 

Still shaking slightly, she lifted her hand onto the table and stared at the ring. The rose crest was the same as Ohtori’s, it was why she wanted to go there, to…

To find her prince.

The waiter had appeared from thin air and left their order. Yui was stirring sugar into her tea, strong brown fingers gripping the spoon and scraping the sides of the cup. 

Clink-ink, clink-ink, clink-ink

Utena’s vision blurred, her hands shook, the smell of roses was overpowering. Inside the restaurant, a piano started to play.

Clink-ink, clink-ink, clink-ink

She knew that song, she heard it through the halls when Miki would practice for competitions. He was always playing, so wherever you were in Ohtori you could always hear piano music. 

Clink-ink

It was the same with the smell of fresh roses. In the almost-hidden courtyard, the dozens of constantly blooming roses filled the air with perfume. She could see them, see the greenhouse with it’s domed roof and the loop on the top, making it look like a bird cage.

Clink-ink

The waiter returned and placed a delicate glass vase on the table. In it was a single white rose.

Plop

Clink-

“Utena?” 

Plop-plop

“Kiddo, what’s wrong?”

Plop-plop clink

“Sweetie, talk to me.” 

Utena couldn’t see. Everything was blurry. She couldn’t breathe properly. Her hands were shaking, her knees were shaking, everything was shaking. She felt faint, she was falling, she was drowning, she couldn’t move, she couldn’t stop moving she couldn’t-

A warm hand covered her own.

“Utena. I’m here. You’re safe. Breathe. Talk to me.” Yui’s voice was soft and firm. 

Slowly, Utena raised her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her aunt’s brow was creased with worry. “What’s wrong?”

Gasping for breath, Utena finally choked out one word:

“Himemiya.”

Himemiya was car shopping. 

After she’d gone what she considered to be a reasonable distance from the academy, she got off the train and located the nearest car salesman. She wanted something nice. She could afford something nice.

However, the salesman kept giving her confused glances and “checking up on her.” While she understood his situation-fourteen-year-old girls don’t often buy cars-she didn’t appreciate the hovering. 

“So, miss, anything here strike your fancy? Might I suggest one of these Vespas? A scooter would be perfect for a young lady about the town.” She had seen the Vespas, and immediately dismissed them. Japan had all sorts of weather, and Anthy didn’t want to get caught in it. No, she needed something sensible and enclosed. Her eyes went to the Paseos at one edge of the lot. 

“What can you tell me about this vehicle?”

“Well, that is a very fine car indeed! Nice and compact, but surprisingly roomy inside. Brand new, god gas mileage, very safe,” he rambled on. Anthy walked around the cars, peering into the windows, looking at the tires. One caught her eye in particular. 

She turned to the salesman and cut him off mid-pitch. “How much for this one?” She pointed at the hot-pink Paseo. 

“Urm,” he mentally staggered a moment, then said “That’ll be 106,000 yen. It’s a good deal! Brand new, no issues-“

She cut him off again. “I will give you 100,000 yen, because I don’t need a warranty, free oil changes for a year, spare tires, or anything you would offer me.” The tapestry bag thunked down on the hood. She methodically began removing bundles of notes.

“Now, young lady, I appreciate your business attitude, but I can’t just sell a car to a kid. Where are your parents?” He moved closer. 

Anthy’s glare could’ve frozen lava. 

The salesman backed away.

“I do need an adult present to sign the registration over to. I’m afraid that’s the law. And I’m also afraid,” he folded his arms and leaned against the driver’s side door, “that it really is 106,000 yen.” 

It’s too late to start the cute and innocent routine, and he wouldn’t be fooled by it anyways. I can always pull out some tears if need be, but someone like this “wouldn’t want trouble” and just call the police. The thoughts ran in the back of her mind automatically. Her hands curled into fists and she breathed deeply. No, she’d do this another way. 

100,000 yen sat on the roof of the car. A smile flickered across her lips for the barest second. She put the money back in the bag. 

“Actually, I think that the registration is right there, on the dashboard.” 

He whipped around, glaring through the window at the piece of paper that hadn’t been there a moment ago. He stared at it, then at her. 

“And it was very kind of you to give me this vehicle as a gift. It is so very hard for a young person these days to get started. Thank you.” She spoke slowly and clearly, her tone reminiscent of a sculptor’s hammer.

The salesman backed away from the car and the strange girl with the monkey on her shoulder. His knees were knocking together. 

Anthy rolled her suitcase to the trunk and placed it in, along with the tapestry bag of cash. The hatch closed with a satisfying clunk as she strode forward to the driver’s seat. The engine roared to life.

“Leaving the key in the ignition was also very kind.” She rolled the windows down as Chu-Chu hung upside-down from the rear-view mirror. The wheel was smooth in her hand.

“D-d-d,” the car salesman stuttered in shock.

“Yes?”

He gulped, then added in a weak voice, “D’ya even know how to drive stick?”

Tires squealed as Anthy executed a perfect J-turn, coming parallel to the quaking man. “I think I’ve got the hang of it.”

She roared out of the parking lot, waving casually out the window. 

“Bye-bye!”

“Chu!”

A rumble started in her belly. It grew outward to her shoulders and her fingertips before the laughter burst out from her mouth. It wasn’t the delicate tinkling laughter that was expected from her, but a belly laugh filled with snorts and chuckles and delighted shrieks. A blush bloomed across her cheeks, the warmth making the wind feel even cooler. Tears streamed down her cheeks and disappeared into her hair. 

The setting sun was to her right, and she kept laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted Utena to have a loving presence in her life while she's recovering, so I gave her a butch aunt who lives in Hokkaido. 
> 
> And yes, Anthy can still do magic, but how much and for how long? We'll see.


End file.
